Preface to the 2nd Edition

In his preface to the first edition of Teaching and Assessing Professionalism: A Program Director’s Guide, Stephen Ludwig, MD wrote that the authors of this work hoped it would be useful in “rekindling the flame of professionalism…that is at the core of our work on behalf of children and their families.”

Almost 10 years later, in the introduction to a new JAMA series on the teaching of professionalism, the editors wrote: “Despite the various definitions and multifaceted nature of professionalism, at its core, professionalism can be thought of as a set of behaviors that must be learned and practiced like any other skill, and they should be developed and refined continuously over a physician’s practice lifetime. Much can be learned about professionalism by studying individual case scenarios. [In this way], physicians can learn more about how professionalism can guide them when they encounter challenging clinical situations, interpersonal issues, and ethical dilemmas.”1

As the authors of this second edition of Teaching, Promoting and Assessing Professionalism Across the Continuum, we can find no better words than those above to convey both our intent and our hope for the current version of this guide.

We are indebted to Gail McGuinness, MD and to John Frohna, MD for their commitment to the original work as well as their drive to update this important teaching tool. It is a direct result of their guidance and encouragement that the second edition was undertaken and that important new chapters were added to the text. Just as essential to the successful completion of this project, Franklin Trimm, MD and Nancy Spector, MD were the senior editors who provided the focus, guidance and determination that brought all of us together into a functional team with a common mission. Without their thoughtful and timely leadership, this edition might never have made it to publication.

We are very appreciative of the financial and technical support of the American Board of Pediatrics in completing this project. Specifically, Kimberly Durham has been an invaluable leader for the authors, editors and staff through every step of the process. We are also indebted to Mike Adams for his technical expertise in transforming the original print version to a web-based tool that provides much improved usability and access.

Finally, on behalf of the entire project team, we are tremendously grateful to the chapter authors of the first edition who conceptualized the key elements of this work. Their original concept, design and content have gracefully withstood the test of time.